To illustrate the installation process, Walton Fabrications prepared this stock 41-48 Chevy frame by sandblasting it. The frame is positioned on stands upside-down, but the installation can be performed from underneath with the body on the frame. The first step is to remove the stock leaf-spring hangers by drilling the factory rivets. |
This close-up shows the stock forward leaf-spring hanger in place, but with the rivets removed. The factory frame holes will be reused to mount the new link-bar mounting brackets, though two additional holes need to be drilled. |
The link-bar bracket is placed over the factory mounting holes for the leaf-spring hanger, and then used as a template to mark the spots where the additional holes must be drilled. Once the bracket is in place, a transfer punch is used to mark the frame, and then the additional holes are drilled. |
The link-bar bracket is then bolted in place. Some welding will be necessary to secure the side of the bracket to the framerail, but that will be done after everything is in place and all mounting locations have been verified. |
The rear leaf-spring hangers are also removed, and the stock mounting holes are again used for reference. This time, the forward two factory mounting holes are used to measure the distance to the new crossmembers rear mounting holes. Walton measures center to center, and at first he transfer-punches only one hole on each side. |
After checking the measurements, one hole on each side is drilled. The new crossmember is then bolted in place, and the location is checked. Once the mounting position has been verified, the crossmember is used as a template to determine the location of the remaining mounting holes. The holes are transfer-punched and drilled, and then the crossmember is bolted in place. |
Before flipping the frame over, the air bags were bolted to the new crossmember. We performed this step now for illustration purposes, but the bags could easily be installed after the rear axle was in place. |
Once the link-bar brackets and crossmember are installed, the frame is righted so the axle housing can be fitted. Walton offers Currie Ford 9-inch housing with the necessary brackets already welded in place, or the customer can purchase just the brackets. The kit includes concise dimensions for positioning the brackets as well as the desired pinion angle. |
With the axle housing positioned on a floor jack, the link bars can be installed. Walton installs all of the mounting bolts but leaves the fasteners loose until final fitment. The kit also includes a track bar, which crosses in front of the housing under the driveshaft. |
Rather than designing specific axle brackets for the air-spring suspension, Walton created bag mounts that attach to the same axle brackets used with coilover shocks. |
These brackets bolt on to the coilover-style axle brackets and include a lower shock mount. |
The last step of the basic installation is mounting the air bags to the brackets on the axle housing. Once this is completed, suspension travel is checked and any adjustments to the link bars are made. |
The recent rise in popularity of early post-war Chevys seems to have spurned growth in the development of new products for these vehicles. Among the organizations that have recognized this escalating interest is Walton Fabrications in Upland, California. Proprietor Todd Walton has years of fabrication experience under his belt, but realizes that the average enthusiast does not. For that reason, he and his staff have made an effort to create kit systems that can be successfully installed by hobbyists with moderate skills.
An excellent example of this is Waltons new four-link kit for 41-48 Chevys. The addition of a four-link rear in street rods is nothing new, but this kit makes the installation nearly a bolt-on. Some welding is necessary and careful measurements are crucial, but by using factory mounting-points as reference points, a lot of the guesswork and confusion has been eliminated.
We followed along as the staff at Walton walked us through the installation process to illustrate its simplicity. This system will use air bags, but conventional coilovers can be employed. Note that Walton is working on a similar kit for 49-54 Chevys, and already has leaf-spring upgrade kits that are even easier to install than this kit is.